LA Union Watchdog Group Says Local 47 Delegate Vote Illegal

An activist LA musicians union watchdog group claims a recent vote to force AFM convention delegates from Local 47 to vote as a single unanimous block was illegal.

The Committee for a Responsible Local 47, an ad-hoc group of concerned musicians in Los Angeles which has published scathing exposes aimed at AFM Local 47, the Recording Musicians Association-LA, and the newly created Professional Musicians Guild, says a recent vote to a proposal to force all Local 47 delegates to the AFM convention to vote as a single unified block was illegal according to Local 47 bylaws.

In a newsletter published May 14, the Committee stated, “According to Local 47 Bylaws, any vote to bind the Convention Delegates’ votes (Forcing all delegates to vote how they are told, rather than their own conscience.) must be preceded by a 15-day notice of intent to the membership. Any vote of this type taking place without this 15-day notice is illegal; and therefore is null and void.”

The Committee claims that no such 15-day notice was provided to Local 47 members, and as a result the vote is illegal. Previously the Committee has suggested that the proposal may have been aimed at eliminating any dissent from David Schubach, an outspoken critic of Local 47 President Hal Espinosa who was elected by the Local 47 members as a delegate to the AFM convention.